1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a digital mixer that processes audio signals in a plurality of channels based on values of parameters of each of the channels stored in a current memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a digital mixer described in, for example in Document 1, is known as a digital mixer that processes audio signals in a plurality of channels based on values of parameters of each of the channels stored in a current memory.
Document 1: PM5D/PM5D-RH Operation Manual, YAMAHA Corporation, 2004, p. 72-74, 135-136
In this digital mixer, an input channel strip section includes twenty-four channel strips. A layer for assigning 1st to 24th input channels to the respective channel strips and a layer for assigning 25th to 48th input channels to the respective channel strips are provided. This allows to switch correspondence relations between channel strips and input channels in response to a layer selection. With such a structure, in the digital mixer, values of parameters of forty-eight input channels can be edited using the twenty-four channel strips.
Further, desired channels are assigned to other eight faders, which are provided separately from the input channel strip section, and the faders can be used to edit fader parameter values of the assigned channels. Further, an assignment pattern for assigning a desired channel to each of eight faders is prepared as a layer, and a plurality of layers can be registered. A user can reflect the assignment pattern of the layers to the eight faders by selecting a layer.
With such an operation, the user can edit the parameters of the channels assigned to the faders as switching the channel assignments to the fader by selecting layers with a simple operation, even when a number of the channels to be assigned to the fader is greater than the number of the faders.
Further, the digital mixer described in the Document 1 is a digital mixer capable of sharing mixing buses when cascaded with other digital mixers. Such a digital mixer capable of sharing mixing buses is also described in the Document 2.
Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-274822
Each of the digital mixers has a function for processing an audio signal, which is mixed in a mixing bus, in an output channel corresponding to the mixing bus and outputting the signal, and a function for supplying an audio signal, witch is mixed in the mixing bus, to some mixing bus in a downstream digital mixer in the cascade connection, according to a predetermined correspondence relation, for the mixing in the mixing bus.
With these functions, the downstream digital mixer can mix the audio signals supplied from its own input channels to the mixing bus and the audio signals supplied from upstream digital mixer to the mixing bus. Accordingly, the downstream digital mixer can practically mix not only audio signals inputted from its own input channels but also audio signals inputted from input channels of the upstream digital mixer, and output the mixed signal.
The Document 1 also describes a configuration, in which two digital mixers are connected using terminals for a cascade connection so as to transmit and receive audio signals in two way communications so that both of the two digital mixers can mix audio signals inputted from both digital mixers and output the mixed signal. With such a configuration, outputs can be obtained from the respective output channels as if the corresponding mixing buses between the two digital mixers are connected as a common mixing bus to perform mixing.
The Documents 1 and 2 also describe functions for linking storing or recalling scenes, ON/OFF and level setting of DCA groups, parameters such as mute ON/OFF setting in mute groups, between the cascaded digital mixers, and when the linked settings or values of the linked parameters are changed in one digital mixer, providing corresponding changes to other digital mixer.